Example Of Straight Wrists.

[Fergie Fulton]

I play, with as often as I can, with what I call "straight wrists" .
OK my wrists are not straight, but they are as straight as I need.

In the video, shot live from a show, if you look at my fretting hand you will see that my fingers reach the fretboard without showing the back of the hand...in effect my knuckles point down, not forward.

It is the joints of my fingers that address the fretboard, not my wrist.
The knuckles on the back of my hand are behind the neck, not in front of it.
I use the natural curl of the finger joints to fret the strings. In this the natural strength of the fingers are used.

On the plucking hand the wrist is, again, as straight as it needs to be.
Notice how the plucking hand rests on the front of the bass, not over the top of it.
Also notice how the forearm comes away from the bass at very regular intervals.. it is not fixed to the instrument. The forearm mearly rests on the front of it, and it is the forearm that positions the wrist and the wrist positions the fingers relationship to the strings.

OK the bass is low, but both wrists are very comfortable and as straight as the need to be.
There is no restriction to the playing, the hands, and fingers move with fluid ease on both hands.

Notice on each arm the elbow positions, they are not tight to the body, they are free to allow the forearms to control the wrist position and a such the fingers relationship to the strings on both hands.

On the fretting hand the fingers are "short", in as much as only what is needed curls under the neck to the fretboard.... There is no wrist bend to push the knuckles forward, the knuckles face down if anything.

This is a default position of my technique which offers speed and fluidity, within a Blues/Rock genre.

Feel free to watch the video and if there are any questions I will be happy to answer them.... As for the thumb.. I give it not thought as it just follows the fingers.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

OK personal messages are cool, but if we keep questions on this thread we can all see what is being said, or assumed, about what i am doing, and more importantly what i am saying.

So yes i agree, it looks like my right hand, plucking hand, has an angle, but that is just a camera angle, what we do see is that my right hand is not "stuck"over the bass...the fact my plucking hand is free of the body shows how relaxed it is.

OK i cannot show this in real time, but look at my right forearm...it comes away from the body of the bas with alarming regularity....sometimes it is obvious, some times it is a little role of the wrist that see the fingers, and as such, the hand leave the body of the bass, in what looks like a little turn of the hand, but it is the forearm that instigates it...not the hand.

 

[fearceol]

Nice post Fergie...and timely also. There has been a few debates recently (some rather heated) on left hand technique.

 

[Lobster11]

This should be a sticky. Thanks, Fergie!

 

[Watchootognbout]

So what happens when you do an octave or a root 13 extension?

 

[DWBass]

I play with a straight wrist. For those with exaggerated curved wrists.....I don't know how you don't have wrist issues.

Mel Brown plays with an extremely exaggerated curved wrist. Don't know how he does it.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

So what happens when you do an octave or a root 13 extension?
View attachment 3430616

I play them as and when required, check out the 6.00 mark and you will see, and hear chords being played with no trouble at all.

Also notice how my fingers can spread due to my DB Simandi training at that point as well, as well as various other pints in the song.

As i said this is my 'default position' i use for this type of music, if i was playing different music say Jazz, i would use a different bass and a different technique.

Players tend to think that their set up, so bass height, position, even bass model is a one stop shop.
For me i play and change to suit what i am doing, not adapt what i have to suit.

This form of Blues is very aggresive and demanding on stamina, so my hand positions are in as strong a position as i can use, which is straight lines from the forearms through to the fingers because ecomomy of movement is what is needed not high dexterity.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

I play with a straight wrist. For those with exaggerated curved wrists.....I don't know how you don't have wrist issues.

Mel Brown plays with an extremely exaggerated curved wrist. Don't know how he does it.

Its a case of different strokes for different folks.
For many the effect of such techniques is cumlitive, time will show if there is a price to pay for what we do, myself included.
But if we can recognise that maybe we do not need such a technique all the time, then maybe we can change it for one better suited to what we do need if it does the exact same job rather than relying on the habit of what we always have done?

 

[DWBass]

Its a case of different strokes for different folks.
For many the effect of such techniques is cumulative, time will show if there is a price to pay for what we do, myself included.
But if we can recognize that maybe we do not need such a technique all the time, then maybe we can change it for one better suited to what we do need if it does the exact same job rather than relying on the habit of what we always have done?

I didn't realize you were referring to your fretting hand. Growing up I played with my fingers almost flat to the fret-board. I remember guys asking me what I was doing because you couldn't really see how I was playing. When I started to play 5 strings I kind of forced my fingers to bend and play 'correctly'. I still do but only when needed. I tend to fall back to my 'flat hand' playing sometimes. You can see it in my pic.

 

[RyanOh]

To each his own, I tend to play like this guy. Thumb is anchored behind the neck and fingers have plenty of room to move around. I find it useful for faster playing like this example.

 

[hrodbert696]

Yes, generally straight and relaxed wrists are healthier and better then cramped twisted angled ones.

Me:

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Nice post Fergie...and timely also. There has been a few debates recently (some rather heated) on left hand technique.

There are many fretting hand techniques, and they are about the position of the knuckles and the elbow for me

As a rule i play with the knuckles facing down, not facing forward and i let my forearm position my wrist, not my wrist position my forearm.....and this allows my fingers to address the strings rather than push the hand forward....check out the first few minutes of this video where i demontrate and explain how it works.
Again if it raises any questions i will be happy to answer them if i can.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

To each his own, I tend to play like this guy. Thumb is anchored behind the neck and fingers have plenty of room to move around. I find it useful for faster playing like this example.

Cool example, but Pino can do all that playing with straighter wrists...his elbow is not pulled back far enough to straighten the wrist.
Look at his knuckles...nearly facing down on the back of his hand yet his wrist is bend??
Its almost the same position as me, but with a bend wrist....and longer fingers LOL.

 

[Watchootognbout]

When a bass player plays a line that is linear,scalar his wrist is and can remain straight.
But as soon as he does a wide extension,such as an octave or a root/five/nine form,or something like that, his wrist becomes curved.

You cannot have a straight wrist all the time.
And you shouldn't play with a bent wrist al the time.

 

[Thumpin6string]

When a bass player plays a line that is linear,scalar his wrist is and can remain straight.
But as soon as he does a wide extension,such as an octave or a root/five/nine form,or something like that, his wrist becomes curved.

You cannot have a straight wrist all the time.
And you shouldn't play with a bent wrist al the time.

Nice! I haven't seen that particular video of D-code before.

 

[Thumpin6string]

IMHO if a bassist keeps his bass more upright, his wrist should stay straighter. If the bass is more horizontal, the wrist will be bent more. Arm length can make a difference as well. So whatever works best for each one of us, is fine in my opinion.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

When a bass player plays a line that is linear,scalar his wrist is and can remain straight.
But as soon as he does a wide extension,such as an octave or a root/five/nine form,or something like that, his wrist becomes curved.

You cannot have a straight wrist all the time.
And you shouldn't play with a bent wrist al the time.

Exactly, when i talk of a"default position", that is a position i use the most, or will defult to at any time... I have to put some bend in my Wrists, but I also roll them as well. But I get back to straight Wrists as often as I can

Here is some cool footage of me using my wrists as described about.
The cool thing is you can see the forearm and elbow working.

 

[sludgetail]

great technique and badass band man, dig that drummer and the guitar player a lot too.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Exactly, when i talk of a"default position", that is a position i use the most, or will defult to at any time... I have to put some bend in my Wrists, but I also roll them as well. But I get back to straight Wrists as often as I can

Here is some cool footage of me using my wrists as described about.
The cool thing is you can see the forearm and elbow working.

I can't play the way you play.

The bass is way too low for me and with the thumb pointing that way you can almost only play pentatonic inspired line.

My playing technic for both hands come from classical guitar players and classical double bass player.

I also always play the same way no matter the bass or type of music. Why would I change ?

My wrists are a little bend but I also play 6 strings basses.

 

[Mugre]

appropos of nothing but I had a 'cello teacher who used to say, "If you're getting the sound you want and nothing hurts, you're doing it right."

Mugre